Carl W. Kenney II is an award winning columnist and novelist. He is committed to engaging readers into a meaningful discussion related to matters that impact faith and society. He grapples with pondering the impact faith has on public space while seeking to understand how public space both hinders and enhances the walk of faith.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

I left Durham with unresolved business

Moving from a community you love feels like the end of
a long relationship.Packing bags and
moving on is tough to do when you have unfinished business.

That’s how I’m feeling today – like there’s too much
in Durham, NC left unresolved. You see, I still love her.She’s a city like no other, and I did marry
her a few years back.

Don’t get me wrong, Columbia, MO has a lot to offer.
It’s just not the same.I keep
comparing her to Durham. It’s not fair to limit my affection based on what used
to be, but I still have feelings that make it hard to let go.

The coffee isn’t the same, there isn’t much diversity,
I can’t find a Whole Foods, and, and.My
list is making me cry.I have to let her
go.It’s difficult to see the good in
the new when you’re trapped in loving the old.

Moving on is harder when you walk away with a bag of
unresolved business.There’s so much I
wanted to say before leaving.I didn’t
get a chance to address a few matters that have haunted me since leaving. So, let
me share what’s on my mind.

I left with
concerns related to the mentally ill. The
death of Derek Walker left a foul taste in my spirit. I never got a chance to
share my disdain for the way he was gunned down by police after pleading to be
killed with a gun to his head.It
troubles me that so many watched him die with tears flowing because he couldn’t
find the courage to live.

I’m tormented that police officers had to pull the
trigger. They didn’t want to see Walker die.I worry about the mental health of the officers involved in the incident,
and how people are quick to throw stones at those who did their very best not
to kill Walker.I’m hurting for everyone
involved – his 5-year-old son, his mother, his family and a village grappling to
understand why it had to end this way?

With that
being said, what is going on with Durham’s Police Department. After a series of questionable actions by the police,
one has to wonder if there is the emergence of a culture within the police
department that assumes brute force and racial profiling as normative
strategies in enforcing the law.

The death of Jose Adan Cruz, the uncalled for beating and
arrest of Stephanie Nickerson, and the dubious arrest of Carlos Riley, Jr. hint
that it may be time for new leadership at the police department.It doesn’t help that Police Chief Jose Lopez
is accused of saying Attorney David Hall deserved to be shot because he works
as a public defender.

I have lots to
say about Durham’s City Council election. The analysis on this election is loaded with potential lasting
implications. Let me share a few.

What is the significance to Durham having political
leaders that don’t reflect the age of the population they serve?As the average age Durham decreases, and the hipster
crowd reshapes the culture of the city, what does it say about the political
machinery of Durham that youth are locked out due to the influence of Durham’s
PAC’s?

Omar Beasley is positioned to add youth to the City Council,
but faces stiff opposition from Eddie Davis who received 59% of the votes in
the primary compared to Beasley’s 21%.That gap advances speculation that black voters are opting to reject the
endorsement of the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People due to
issues with the organizations leadership.

The contest between Davis and Beasley continues the
battle of supremacy between Durham’s PAC’s. If Davis wins, serious issues will
follow the Durham Committee after a battle between two highly capable, black candidates.Watch the black vote in Durham to quantify
the hold the Durham Committee has on black voters.

Finally,
what impact will the Rolling Hills development have on extending economic development
beyond the downtown core? Even more
pressing is the role North Carolina Central University will serve in revitalizing
the area decimated by urban renewal.The
area known as Hayti reaped a death when the Durham Freeway was built to connect
Durham to the Research Triangle Park.Hundreds of black owned businesses were displaced.

What will happen next?

If downtown development can be used as a clue, Durham
will witness massive gentrification that will shift the demographics of the
inner city core.The change will be
celebrated as growth, but what are the consequences of all that change?

I have so much to talk about.Maybe I can move on and love my new home the
way she deserves.Maybe I should start
writing her love letters.Not a bad
thought.That’s what commentary is for
me – a love letter to the world about things that matter to me.

1 comment:

Carl, I hope you'll find a comfortable niche in MO, the great friends you deserve and a revival of the creative instincts that made you such a great contributor to life in Durham. Since I've been through the same transition, please trust me when I say that there is life beyond Durham.

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Carl W. Kenney II

Carl was named the best serious columnist of 2011 by the North Carolina Press Association for his work with the News & Observer's community paper The Durham News and in 2016 by the Missouri Press Association for his columns in the Columbia Missourian. He is a columnist with the News & Observer and Co-Executive Producer of "God of the Oppressed" an upcoming documentary film on black liberation theology. He is a former Adjunct Professor at the University of Missouri - School of Journalism and Adjunct Instructor at Duke University, the Center for Documentary Studies. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He furthered his education at Duke University and attained a Master of Divinity. He was named a Fellow in Pastoral Leadership Development at the Princeton Theological Seminary on May 14, 2005. He is a freelance writer with his commentary appearing in The Washington Post, Religious News Services,The Independent Weekly and The Durham Herald-Sun. Carl is the author of two novels: “Preacha’ Man” and the sequel “Backslide”.
He has led congregations in Missouri and North Carolina